docsconz

Thanks for even more great memories, Alberto. Your photos and description from Bonajuto in particular brought back some great ones. I tried the "meat pies" when i was there. They were indeed excellent. I wish I knew to try the cannoli though. That was my particular mission at the time, to have as many cannoli in Sicily as possible. They are excellent in NYC, but even better there. I was at Caffe Sicilia in Noto as well. Unfortunately, I didn't have what you did, although what I had was pretty good too!

I believe that if one is going to eat the animals, one shouldn't gloss over the way they come to the table and that the more of the animal used in appropriate fashion the better. I could, therefore in the right circumstances such as preparing for a very special dinner, do what was described. That I don't typically do so is a matter of convenience and time. I respect those who do cook this way.

Molto, more great stuff, especially since you hit a few places I wanted to, but couldn't get to. Of those, I most regret not getting to Chez Denize. I guess I'll have to make a return visit!

Nice report, Wendy, although had had photos you didn't comment at all on Toque. I haven't been to the new Toque yet, but at the old Toque, the foie gras was still the best I have ever had. Unfortunately, my own visits to Montreal have become too infrequent.

A brief moderator's note: although the above review has the appearance of possible copyright issues, it is written by the poster and taken by him directly from his blog. While this probably does not need to be pointed out here, I thought it best to do so to avoid any potential further questions or issues. By the way, very nice review. Thanks for sharing it with us. My personal feeling echoes yours. Both Wylie and Sam are tremendous talents who complement each other fantastically.

To bad because my meal at Martin last month was better then Arzak or Akalare or El Bulli, also just wondering why does almost everyone who goes to San Sebastian skip Martin. ← Not me, I can assure you. I've always believed that Martín is the best restaurant in the area and one of the best in the country. ← Thanks for the tip, it will be Martin next time. Doc did you try Berastegui? ← Hi Molto, I haven't been ignoring you or this thread. I have been away and am still getting myself organized after a great trip to South Africa. Unfortunately, the only one of the great Donostia restaurants that I've had the pleasure to dine at is Arzak, which was wonderful. I would love to get back and try them all!

Nice report ChowAlf. Thanks. Just reading about the suckling pig at Abac is making me swoon. That was an awesome dish and probably the best suckling pig I've ever had, although I can still remember one from a famous restaurant in Madrid in 1974, the name of which is currently escaping me. Of course that was the first time I had ever had that dish. The navajas at Universal bring back some pretty good memories too.

Sounds an awful lot like The Wine Clip. See also here

Just getting back into the swing of things...great topic, Alberto! My father, of Sicilian heritage, never could eat seafood with cheese either. I have broken away from such compunctions on occassion How does the ricotta stuffed mozzarella compare with burratta?

Raisa, you can always walk around the Boqueria. It is covered!

They are wonderful grilled with a little EVOO, garlic and parsley. I love razor clams. The first time I ever had them was at Kiosk Universal in the Boqueria in Barcelona. They were a revelation simply grilled. I have subsequently grilled them myself to great effect. Daniel, your preparation looks marvellous, too.

If a very long meal is truly great such as I've had at el Bulli, Alinea, Arzak, Can Fabes, Citronelle and Per Se amongst others, the time flew and I longed for more. On the other hand, if the meal does not hit on all cylinders, it can be excruciating. A great meal provides its own energy and drive. The pacingis also extremely important. If I'm stuffed a quarter of the way through the rest of the meal becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. This last part, though not necessarily time dependant is magnified in a very long meal.

the meat of the bufala is a ubiquitous product in that area and, I agree, quite tasty. At Seliano we had it a number of different ways, all excellent. That pizza in particular is making me hungry and I just had lunch!

Molto, another awesome report! Your photos of Arzak brought back many memories. I was surprised how many similarities there were in your and my meal later in the courses one year apart. Then again, those courses like the lamb with the coffee veil and the pigeon were so good, they should be kept. Early on in the meals, everything was very different. For what it is worth, the platings at Mugaritz were gorgeous. It is a shame that it didn't live up to your expectations. How did it compare to Gagnaire? The overall sensibility struck me as very similar.

I think from Adria's point of view, it's a simple equation. He does 8000 covers a year, who will be put through his latest culinary creations. As long as he has 8000 people willing to pay for it, what he likes to do is safe. Are you one of those 8000 people, and will you like food a bit less if he's a shill? Fine, but the question to me is more "does Adria care"? During our dinner at eB, I was surprised when I left half of one of the dishes untouched, no one asked me if something was wrong. This is indeed very strange for a 3-star. But it points to the fact (at least in my opinion), that what Adria has done is build an infrastructure that allows him to do culinary research, and has done it so effectively that he doesn't have to care about what people think. You don't want to go to eB because he sells crappy chips? Fine, someone else will. Moreover, those chips probably give him the financial security to be even more daring in his research, since failures won't wreck neither elBulli or the Ferran Adria brand. To me, he is pretty confident his contribution to the culinary body of knowledge (and quite possibly his net worth too) is worth some shilling. Actually I don't think he sees it as shilling, but rather a way to keep on doing what he does best. Despite what the rest of us might think. ← If this enables him to continue doing what he is doing at El Bulli at the price he is doing it, power to him! if he is making money doing it and that is the reason he is doing it - fine. I would still like to think, though that he is doing it with integrity. I have no reason to think otherwise.

Wow. That menu looks awesome. I'm hoping to get back there around the beginning of December. I wouldn't mind in the least if this menu was still around. Then again, I have no doubt that if it is replaced the new menu would be just as interesting. one dish sounds cooler than the next. Unbelievable.

I haven't personally been to Esca, but have heard good things about it. DB Bistro is excellent pre-theater and probably post as well. Nice score on the Spamalot tix

John, let's assume the chips are awful, yet you keep on seeing that every review about elBulli is great. Would you stop going (or trying to go) there? Of course his brand looses if the product is bad, but in the end how does this affect what he really cares about? ← SD, This is a very good question. I would still keep trying to go to El Bulli and most likely continue to enjoy it , but if he were shilling any and every product in a clearly exploitive fashion I would probably lose a little respect for him and perhaps enjoy El Bulli just a little bit less. I have no problem with people making a buck with integrity, which is what I believe Ferran is doing. This question brings to mind the whole debate over Rick Bayless and his commercials for Burger King. That had connotations that this discussion doesn't have. Accusations of hypocrisy were leveled against Bayless because what he has always publicly stood for (i.e. locally grown, fresh quality produce) seemed to be diametically opposed to what he was then promoting. I don't see any such issue with Ferran and his promotions.

I recently came across some. How does one use them?

For Jazz, don't forget Dizzy's Club Coca Cola in the Time Warner Complex!

So long as the quality of the proucts is good, I think it is a good move. Willy-nilly endorsements would in the end cheapen his name and reflect poorly on him. Based upon my experience with his gazpacho and the book, I think he is doing well. Given my experience at El Bulli, I would be very surprised if he did not.

Alberto, you are making me drool! The fish was beautiful and that pepper sauce looks mighty tasty. The porcini, however, knocked me to the floor. I am always amazeed no matter how often I see or visit them, of the quality of the products in the markets of Italy, France and Spain.

Gagnaire was always problematic, but not because of consistency, rather because he generally refuses to do the same thing twice. As his wife has said, he just gets bored. The difference is, when he hits the right note, it's at such an astronomically high level as not to be believed. Even his biggest fans say that 1 or 2 meals out of 4 can sometimes have bad elements or even fail as a whole. I'm glad Matt had a good meal at Bras. I trust his taste buds. ← An intersting comment and one to bear in mind. First, it may tend to make any single meal risky, especialy if you will only have the opportunity have that one meal, and especially if that one meal consumes your budget for multistarred dining at Parisian prices. For those who've managed two or three meals, if the last one is faulty, it can send the signal that Gagnaire is slipping, when it may just be he's uneven. ← The problem is, when this happens during a first experience, the tendancy is to not give a second - especially at Paris three star prices.

I seem to recall that he was planning to close for the 2007 season, not 2006. I'm sure there would be some info in the blanket "please try again at the end of the season" e-mail that you get should you try and book too early. Alex. ← According to what Luis Garcia told me at the end of August they are not planning to close for any year in the near future.

The chips are not his first commercial product by any means. Two years ago I had some gazpacho in a carton branded by Adria. I believe he is striving for a populist approach to balance the esoteric aspects of El Bulli. He has always said how much he loves and respects traditional cuisine and that even his cuisine at El Bulli is always a takeoff from traditional Catalan and Spanish cuisines and perhaps other cuisines as well. While in Spain I bought a book on Ferran Adria Cooking at Home. While I haven't yet tried any of the recipes, they appear to be very doable and good. Interestingly, one of the recipes is for a tortilla with potatoes using potato chips crushed from a bag! These products plus Fast-Good in Madrid are examples of this side of his ouvre.